Friday, November 21, 2014

Actually, it's the 11th month of my "year out." I'm in the home stretch now!

On Wednesday, Fr. Scott Belina and I headed out into the snowy woods to spend the night in the lean to at Trombley Landing on the Raquette River between Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake. I had hoped to spend a night here back in August (but found the place occupied), and raced by here in a canoe back in September, but this time we had the place all to ourselves (other than the lone deer hunter we met on the trail on the way in, and the lone XC skier who appeared just as we finished packing up out gear). The spot is understandably quite popular among boaters on the river, but we rightly figured it wasn't in such demand at this time of year.

The trail in from Route 3/30 is only 1.6 miles and relatively level, but not being sure what the snow conditions might be, and knowing it would be plenty cold enough, we figured that was as far as we needed to go for this camp out. We walked through a beautiful, snow-covered forest...

...to find a nice lean to not far off the river's edge.

Much of this trip would be spent fending off the chill. (It was about 20°F when we left our vehicles, and dropped into the low teens overnight.) That started with kindling a nice fire.

After a rather lovely winter sunset over the river...

...we were ready for some hot food. Trouble with my stove meant rigging up a special set up, which didn't look like much but managed to get the job done.

And then it was into the sleeping bags, even before we were quite ready to go to sleep. (I think we's been in 'em about 11 hours by the time we crawled out again the next morning!)

This was the first time I'd actually slept with some of my water bottles--which isn't the most comfortable arrangement in the world, but is pretty essential if you still want to have something to drink/cook with come morning...since the ones left out were frozen solid.

I'd kind of hoped for a "Indian Summer" experience in November (I'd suggested the possibility of making this a camping trip by kayak when setting these dates a few weeks in advance), but even with the cold and snow it was a truly lovely night in the woods.

Sunday, November 16, 2014

I returned Friday evening from my annual retreat, having spent six days at Mount St. Francis Hermitage in Maine, NY. As a guest of the the Franciscans of the Immaculate, I had my own cabin in the woods--one named for Padre Pio. The place is, shall we say, "rustic": the cabins have electricity and a gas stove for preparing your own meals, but no running water and are only heated by a small wood stove. I was about a half mile from the friary and the "retreat center," where I could get wood, water, and a warm shower. To many folks, I'm sure this sounds less like a retreat center and more like hunting camp! But it suited me just fine. My quiet days were occupied with daily Mass (whether with the friars or privately in my cabin's small oratory) and quiet prayer, lots of reading, long afternoon walks, and the necessities of keeping myself warm and well fed. It was a blessed week, and I'm so grateful for your prayers throughout it.

Mary, Virgin and Mother

We fly to your patronage,O holy Mother of God;despise not our petitions

in our necessities,but deliver us from all evil,O glorious and blessed Virgin.

Saint Joseph

Pray for us!

"St. Joseph was

an ordinary sort of man

on whom God relied

to do great things."

--St. Josemaria Escriva

Saint Barnabas

Pray for us!

"...Joseph,

also named by the apostles Barnabas

(which is translated

son of encouragement)..."

--Acts 4:36

Saint Bruno

Pray for us!

"Only those who have experienced

the solitude and silence

of the wilderness

can know the benefit and divine joy

they bring to those who love them."

--St. Bruno

(1030-1101)

Saint Francis of Assisi

Pray for us!

"You should never let anyone

leave your presence in sadness."

--St. Francis of Assisi

(1181-1226)

Saint Philip Neri

Pray for us!

"A servant of God

ought always to be happy."

--St. Philip Neri

(1515-1595)

Saint John Francis Regis

Pray for us!

"No violence of cold, no snows...,

no mountains, or torrents...,

could be an obstacle to his zeal."

--comment of a contemporary

of St. John Francis Regis

(1597-1640)

Saint John Mary Vianney

Pray for us!

"Our faults

are like grains of sand

next to the great mountain

of the mercies of God."

--St. John Vianney

(1786-1859)

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

Pray for us!

"The value of life does not depend

upon the place we occupy;

it depends upon the way

we occupy that place."

--St. Thérèse of Lisieux

(1873-1897)

Saint André Bessette

Pray for us!

"It is with the smallest brushes

that the Artist paints

the most exquisitely

beautiful pictures."

--St. André Bessette

(1845-1937)

Blessed Charles de Foucauld

Pray for us!

"The absence of risk

is a sure sign

of mediocrity."

--Blessed Charles de Foucauld

(1858-1916)

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati

Pray for us!

"The higher we go,

the better we shall hear

the voice of Christ."

--Blessed Pier Girogio Frassati

(1901-1925)

Saint John Paul II

Pray for us!

"Up to the evening of your life

remain in wonder and gratitude

for that mysterious call

which one day echoed

in the depths of your spirit:

Follow me!”

--Blessed John Paul II

(1920-2005)

Keep smiling!

“I’m not a man who constantly thinks up jokes. But I think it’s very important to be able to see the funny side of life and its joyful dimension and not to take everything too tragically. I’d also say it’s necessary for my ministry. A writer once said that angels can fly because they don't take themselves too seriously. Maybe we could also fly a bit if we didn’t think we were so important.”